NZ hillclimb expert – Matt Gaskin

3 months ago

Racing up some of the most scenic roads in the world, in a car you have finished off yourself & surrounded by your friends and family… Does life get much better than that? Although not a professional driver, we think Matt Gaskin has things pretty sorted. Competing in local and national Hillclimb events in his 1990 Nissan Skyline Coupe, the Wellington native has transitioned to this form of Motorsport after seven years racing speedway.

Purchasing the Skyline car was a no-brainer for Matt. The pristine race vehicle has a dry sumped VK56 Nissan quad cam V8 race engine complete with custom made manifolds and itbs. It runs on E85 fuel and is stroked to 5849cc, running 13:1 compression. This work has been done by Hartley Engines in Palmerston North.

Matt’s car falls in to the 2000cc and over 2WD class (Class D). As you can imagine that is a broad category. Basically, anything 2WD with a bunch of horsepower!

Matt was kind enough to answer some more questions about his vehicle below.

Are you involved with the build/tune of the car yourself? – I have done a few things in the past. Work and family life keeps me busy these days. A while ago we did an extension of the roll cage and a few body modifications. Car has a Carbon Fibre roof skin, boot lid and dash. All made by friends not bought. Leave the rest to the experts, Chris @ Prestige, Ash @ Kaizen Works Ltd and the team @ Llama engineering.

Detail the specialities of your car…

It has a dry sumped VK56 Nissan quad cam V8 race engine complete with custom made manifolds and itbs. Built by Hartley Engines. Runs on E85, stroked to 5849cc and about 13 : 1 compression.

Link G4 extreme and race dash.

TTi 5 speed Sequential gearbox.

Titon twin plate clutch.

R32 GTR mechanical LSD.

18 x 10.5 and 18 x 9 Enkei RPF1’s, Hankook semi slicks.

Tein coilovers, Hardrace arms.

Who has helped you out with the vehicle? All major fabrication work done by Ash @ Kaizen Works Ltd. Wiring and Tuning done by Chris @ Prestige Tuning and Motorsport. Throttle set up and adjustments done by the team @ Llama Engineering.

What is the competition like in your class? – Fiercely competitive.

What are your racing plans for the future? – More of the same…!! Love the thrill of a fast hill climb. Cold brakes, tyres. There isn’t a lot that would top that. Doing new roads for the first time.

What do you love about Link products? – Customer service, back up, bang for buck. The way you get behind competitors like myself. I am proud to fly the brand and logo on my race car and Apparel.

Who is your tuner? – Chris Wall from Prestige Tuning and motorsport. Absolute legend and extremely clever. I have been using him for over 6 years now. Highly recommend his services.

Which ECU and accessories do you use? – Link G4 Extreme and Link dash. Using Flat shift with Holinger Gear Knob.